


Nightmares

by SweetnessandLight



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Comfort, Jim has Issues, M/M, Moriarty was REAL, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Protective Sebastian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-24 01:38:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7488333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetnessandLight/pseuds/SweetnessandLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim has nightmares and Sebastian stays awake with him almost every night. Oneshot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares

Sebastian stirred as the bed creaked slightly under him, eyebrows furrowing into a frown as he was pulled out of sleep by the sudden addition of music to the silent room. He twisted around onto his left side- the light from the streetlamp outside illuminated a strip of the bed beside him, where a dark shape was now visible under the covers. Seb stretched and repositioned himself, gravitating closer to the other man. His breathing was slow, almost inaudible, especially over the sound of some classical symphony Sebastian didn’t recognise playing in the background. Sebastian resented that; Jim wouldn’t sleep without music, but it was rare enough for him to come to bed before the early hours in the morning, if at all, so Seb was willing to accept it to sleep in his company.

They had argued earlier that day- it wasn’t a rare thing- Jim had been in a foul mood and was taking his frustrations out on Sebastian as he often did. Seb had walked in to the apartment, clothes dotted with rain and his hood pulled up, to find Jim sat up at the kitchen table, a mess of paperwork surrounding him, and a smatter of broken glass on the floor at Sebastian’s feet.

“Did you break that?” Seb had asked, in reference to the glass.

“Of course not, Sweetie it was the fucking Pope who broke it, what do you think?” Came the cutting reply.

Sebastian had dumped his bag next to the door, strolled over into the open-plan kitchen and leant against the counter, facing Jim.

“You can’t keep breaking shit all the time.”

“Whatever.” Moriarty muttered, not looking up from his paperwork.

“Hard day?” Seb inquired, raising his eyebrows.

“Average.” Jim answered. There was a pause before he added, “You?”

“Abysmal.”

“Good.” Jim replied spitefully.

“You’re so fucking rude to me, you know that?” Seb retorted, less than pleased with the reception he was receiving. 

“Yeah well you’re pissing me of, yap yap yapping in my ear when i’m trying to work.” Jim screwed up his face and made a speaking gesture with his hand, “It’s infuuuuriating.”

Seb couldn’t help but notice Jim’s accent became thicker when he was angry.

“Fuck yourself.” He had told him.

“You’re a fucking moron.” Jim had replied.

Now they lay silently, Seb’s breathing falling into rhythm with Jim’s as he drifted back into a light sleep. He felt no urge to re-address their earlier exchange of nastiness- spats were a regular occurrence in their relationship and Seb was convinced that half the time Jim started them on purpose. He hadn’t missed the hint of a smile on Jim’s face whenever Seb lost control and hurled something across the room (they had a high turnover of glassware and crockery), or the way his eyes glinted when Seb’s jaw clenched visibly in frustration. Sebastian was smart enough to know when he was being manipulated, but unfortunately, when it came to Jim, not smart enough to stop it from happening. 

He was woken again by more movement to his left; something was repeatedly knocking him in the arm. He sat up slightly and turned to where Jim lay- the covers had been thrown off his body, a sheen of sweat covered his pale face and he was twitching, head thrashing back and forth and pupils visible darting around underneath his eyelids.

Seb quickly slid and arm under Jim’s neck and held the back of his head steady, reaching over his body to grab the ipod off the dock on the bedside table. He scrolled through to find JS Bach and put on one of the pieces he knew was Jim’s favourite- Seb didn’t share Jim’s music tastes but got to learn which ones were regarded more highly than others. Once the new choice began to drift out of the speakers, Seb wrapped his other arm around Jim’s body, who was still writhing around and had began making inaudible sounds of distress.

“Shhhh.” Seb held his body as still as was possible without hurting him, but Jim was deceivingly strong and continued to twitch as though he was trying to escape his own body.

“I’m here, you’re okay, you’re fine.” Sebastian tried to reassure him gently, unsure of wherever Jim was he could hear him.

The nightmares came most nights, Seb would always stay awake with Jim until they stopped, and neither of them would bring it up in the morning. The first time it happened Seb didn’t know what was going on; after figuring out he wasn’t having a fit and trying and failing to wake Jim, he just laid awake watching him anxiously until he settled into a calm sleep again. He had waited for Jim to mention it the next day, but the topic ever arose, so Seb kept quiet as well. He still wasn’t sure if Jim avoided the subject on purpose, or if he wasn’t even aware of what happened almost every night. 

“You’re okay.” Seb told him as Jim continued to writhe. 

Sebastian didn’t know what caused the almost nightly occurrence- it wasn’t a subject he enjoyed thinking about. He was one of the only people who really knew how to get under Sebastian’s skin, but nothing made him as uncontrollably angry as the idea of someone damaging Jim. He knew slim to nothing about his employer’s past, but had decided to keep it that way for fear of finding out something he wasn’t able to handle.

Jim had begun to calm down, and was leaning into Sebastian’s body quietly, still shaking. Seb held him firmly, running a finger up and down his spine as he hummed along to the music still playing in the background.

He continued like than for the next two hours.

***

Jim was absent from the bed when Sebastian woke the next morning- the ipod dock on the bedside table was silent, but there was music drifting in through the ajar bedroom door. Seb sat up and leant over the check the time, it was 9:16 in the morning, Jim would have been up for a few hours already by now. Footsteps approached the door and Moriarty walked in, dressed in a navy blue suit with a diamond tie pin, not looking up from his phone to sing.

“Wakey wakey.”

“I’m awake.” Seb replied begrudgingly, “Thanks to Mozart or whoever the fuck it is this time.”

Jim smiled, continuing to text.

“You look pretty today.” Sebastian told him- the compliment was disguised in his tone of sarcasm, but both men knew it to be genuine.

Jim looked up to grin at Sebastian, “Thanks, honey.” He replied, chewing his gum obnoxiously as he spoke. 

“Come here.” Sebastian said.

“I’m late.” Jim replied, attention turning back to his phone.

“You can’t be late, you’re self employed.” 

“I’m late for myself.” Jim argued, strolling towards the bed where Sebastian still lay nonetheless.

Upon reaching the side of the bed he put his phone away and stood with his hands in his pockets, black eyes swiftly moving over Seb’s bare chest.

“What do you want?” He cocked his head to one side slightly.

“You know what I want.” Sebastian replied, sitting up and reaching out to grasp the back of Jim’s neck and pull his face towards his own.

“Hm.” Jim smirked as he indulged Sebastian in a kiss, tracing the fingers of one hand over Seb’s chest lightly.

Sebastian sat up further swiftly, getting onto his knees on the bed so he was almost level with Jim and pulling him into another kiss, hands reaching out to hold the smooth fabric of his employer’s suit. 

Jim kissed back obligingly, before pulling away slightly and looking down at Seb.

“Sebastian.” He said, his breath minty on Seb’s face.

“Yes?” Seb answered breathily.

“You’re creasing my fucking suit.”

Jim spun on his heels and walked towards the door, shoving his hands back in his pockets before turning back to Sebastian.

“I’ll call you later.”

Sebastian glowered at him.

“I’ll miss you.” Jim grinned, “Will you miss me?”

“Yes.” Seb replied.

Jim looked at him for a little while, the smile had fallen from his face and his black eyes were cold and unreadable, but Sebastian noticed something thoughtful in his expression, as if there was something he wanted to say.

After a few seconds Jim turned and walked swiftly out of the room without another word.

Sebastian suddenly felt sure Jim knew he stayed up almost every night to see him out of his nightmares.


End file.
